PATIENTS in Wales will be able to get the correct antibiotics quicker – with new machines to identify bacteria and infections within minutes.

The Welsh Government will be providing more than £1.2 million for the new machines which will cut the analysis time from 12-18 hours to 10-20 minutes.

The six machines will not only replace the four at Cardiff, Swansea and Rhyl but also provide two additional machines.

The aim of the machines is to identify the bacteria causing infections quicker, which will lead to faster treatment and prevent infections developing into sepsis.

The machines currently used are called Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry analysers (MALDI-TOF-MS). They process around 150,000 samples a year for Public Health Wales’ microbiology service but need increased level of manufacturer support and preventative maintenance.

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Dr Robin Howe, consultant microbiologist and national clinical lead for Public Health Wales microbiology, said: “The investment into this new technology is extremely welcome, and provides us with greatly enhanced capability to quickly identify bacterial infections, enabling clinicians to provide appropriate treatment to patients in a timely manner.

“This new technology will also help with our strategy of reducing antimicrobial resistance, as faster identification of pathogens mean that effective infection control measures can be put in place much sooner, to prevent the emergence of resistant bacteria.”

Welsh Government health minister, Eluned Morgan, said: “This investment will radically transform the microbiology service and allow bacteria from infections to be identified in minutes instead of hours.

“This will have a significant impact on the effective management of infections and improve patient care. Improving infection management could reduce hospital admissions by early interventions in the community, reduce length of stay thanks to effective clinical expertise and speed up patient flow across hospitals in Wales.

“Antimicrobial resistance is a current global public health emergency, and we are determined to invest in the necessary equipment and infrastructure to tackle it and give patients the best possible care.”